Mount Vernon

We had a grand time at Mount Vernon which is George Washington's home.

It certainly is grand!

This entry room apparently was little used.  I think the ceiling is so ornate but the color is not to my liking.

I don't really know what this room was used for other than some entertaining.

I love the way the curtains frame the windows.

And this fireplace!  It really is beautiful.

While in the welcome center I was able to see all the layers on the walls.  Jared Willyerd would love this.

This piano was used by Washington's niece.  It is original and very old so keep your hands off!

Shoes and a dress worn by Martha.

The gardens and orchards were so neat and orderly.  

The way these trees were trimmed and held up by planks is amazing.  I can only imagine how many people/slaves were needed to keep this place running.

This round barn has a floor that lets the grain fall through the slits.

Then all the grain could be collected on the bottom level.

The interior of a slave cabin.

The weather vane that stood on top of the mansion.

This gal was peeling the faux stone off of the wood.  

I can only imagine how long this process was going to take. 

This close-up shows how the wood was covered with a sand-like substance to make the place look like it was built of stone. 

Another sitting room.

There were quite a number of bedrooms.  

Most of them were on the upper levels.

This cut-out shows the floor plan of the house.

I liked these stained glass murals in the welcome center. 

The view from the front of the house.  I can understand why he loved this place. 

Another bedroom.

His actual dentures.

This is the bed and room where Washington passed from this life.  He had an illness that today would've been treated easily.  Basically he suffocated.

The tomb of George Washington.

The tomb is inside this little brick building.

The kitchen.

An office.

This was a space that I found to be very sacred.

Too bad there were so many youth that didn't feel the same way about it as I did.

This view of slavery and Washington's treatment of his slaves gave me a bit of a different view from what I saw when I watched Roots.  Not all slave owners were cruel.

Still, there was no way for him to run his plantation without slaves. 

This was a slave bunk house.

There are separate ones for males and females.

A chicken coop outside of a slave cabin.

The inside of a slave cabin.

The fancy wheels for the Washingtons.

We had a great time.  It was quite warm so anytime we were in the shade we were happy.  I learned a lot about George and Martha.

 

Flight 93 Memorial

After touring the temple on Monday morning we drove the 2+ hours to Shanksville, PA.  

The road to get there was hilly and winding which could make a person carsick in a matter of minutes.  It is beautiful though. 

That beautiful September day when America was attacked surely is memorable to all of us who lived through it.  I'm sure Whomever took this picture after hearing an explosion was shocked at what they saw.  

Being in this sacred space brought me to tears more than once.  After learning that their airplane was hijacked the passengers began making phone calls to their loved ones.  That's when they found out about the other three terrorist attacks that happened earlier.  

These people made a choice.  They could let the hijackers do whatever they had planned or they could save lives by giving their own.

Ultimately they fought back.

In doing so they were able to fight with the hijackers and the plane was flown into the ground!

This beautiful stand of trees became a fireball as the plane left a large crater in the ground.

This boulder is beyond a fence next to the wall of names of victims. It is the spot where the plane went down.  Only family members are allowed to go beyond the fence to visit that spot.

This wall was erected and each panel is for an individual person who was a crew member or innocent passenger on that flight.  Each panel is individual but they appear united just as the people on that flight were.  

This name broke my heart. There were not just 40 people who died that day.  There were 41.

Upon entering the space where the memorial is, we found the Tower of Voices.  

It is 93 feet tall.

There are 40 chimes, one for each of those innocents who gave their lives.  

The wind was brisk on this day and we heard some of the chimes.  Yet, to really get them singing, it would have to blow very strongly.  It is to remind us that these people's voices will never be silenced.   It was a sacred day walking through the Visitors' center and looking at the pictures and hearing the voices of those who left voice messages.  It was powerful and I felt the sacredness of this site. 

 

Temple Open House

Touring the Washington D.C. temple was the reason for this incredible trip.  

It did not disappoint.  As beautiful as I remember.  

We had to try to recreate some of the photos from our wedding day.  Of course in January, we didn't have the crowds of people behind us.

It seems like yesterday and yet so long ago that we were married here.

I was grateful that Erin and Tom wanted to join us on this vacation.

I pray that all of my grandchildren will look not only to their parents but to us as an example of what a marriage should look like and where it should take place.  I think now that Pat is a temple sealer and has the opportunity to seal any of his posterity, it will be even more special for them when that day comes.

This temple is tucked away in a residential neighborhood and is not easy to get to unless you know where you're going.  

We were able to see the temple above the trees from the beltway.  That's always a special scene.

I don't know if I ever imagined the man of my dreams but I surely found him!

So blessed to call these people mine!

Thanks Erin for coming along and taking some selfies to help us remember this special time.

 

McGraws

After leaving Arlington we traveled north to meet up with Bennett and Ellen McGraw.  We haven't seen them in several years and it was so nice to catch up with them.  

They fed us KFC which made Tom very happy.  We talked and laughed and just enjoyed being together.

Jenny as always was full of laughter and smiles.  We met her husband and three precious daughters.  Life is so wonderful when we reunite with loved ones.

 

Arlington National Cemetery

A trip to Washington D.C. for the temple open house gave us several opportunities that we never had or didn't take in previous trips.  On Sunday we went to Arlington as we had never experienced it before.

As we had limited time, we paid to ride the trolley and get the narrated tour.  That is the only way to do this tour.

This bowl is behind the tomb of the unknown soldier.  I wonder if this is the place where some of the funerals are held.  I can't imagine what else it would be used for in such a solemn place.

The "Tomb of the unknown soldier" is just that.  There are remains there of servicemen who were never identified.  If the remains are identified, they are moved to a grave.  We were there for the changing of the guard which is quite a ritual.  I was impressed at how these soldiers reverence this duty!

John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie along with their two children who died either at birth or before are also buried here.  There is the "eternal flame" just above their headstones which Jackie lit.

As I looked around at the thousands of graves, I was in awe of the sheer number of headstones.  

Each one of those headstones marks the grave of someone who died giving their service for the freedoms in this country that we enjoy.

I never realized just how many there were.  That doesn't count those that never came home and those that are buried in their hometown cemetery. 

It gave me a new found appreciation for those who have fought and currently fight.

The front side of the tomb of the unknown soldier.  We were silent as we passed by even though we were quite a distance away.  We heard "Taps" being played.

The grave of JFK with the eternal flame just above.

It was a solemn experience and very moving emotionally.  Prior to the tour we visited the Visitors' Center and learned a lot about the wars our country has been involved in.  I do not have the words to express how I felt as I read so many of the plaques.  The whole experience was powerful!

 

Duck Trouble

 In the summer of 2021 our neighbors across the road added duck to their flock of chickens.  It didn't take long and there were ducklings.  Cute little things that followed their mothers around.  The problem with baby animals being so cute is that they grow up to be adult animals and they are no longer cute.

I have been feeding the birds for longer than we've lived in our present home.  We moved from the old one in the spring of 2004.  Needless to say, I enjoy watching the birds over the winter.  Over the summer of 2021 I chased countless chickens out of our yard.  Shooting them with the BB gun was a favorite way to get them to leave.  A few of them found the remains of scattered bird seed on the ground.  The ducks didn't become a problem until the winter.  

They are fed each morning by their owners and yet they were always in our yard and on our driveway.  The problem with ducks is that they can't just come over and eat the dropped seed, they need to poop on every surface they walk on.  I chased them out of the yard mostly daily and then several times each day.

I spoke to the neighbor and said I didn't want them pooping on our property and she assured me that she would clip their wings.  Perhaps that will keep them from flying over the fence and into our yard.  Nope!  Didn't happen.  So in April I put out a Facebook post asked how to keep ducks out of our yard.  Lots of responses and many that were amusing.  The neighbor reads the post and comments that she didn't know it bothered me that much and she would take care of it.  

Not only were these birds a nuisance in our yard but also on the road.  They refused to move for cars.  They were constantly on top of the tavern and even over on the Cerveny lawn.  Erin contacted the town chairman who came for a drive through Lyndhurst and he too had to stop for ducks in the road.  He sent it on to the county who let us know that ducks and chickens are farm animals and those types are not allowed in the hamlet of Lyndhurst.  

Subsequently, they have gotten rid of the ducks and geese.  If only the roosters would go.  They are asking for a variance to keep the chickens.  I don't know what the decision will be but I'm already in the dog house as I was the one who made a Facebook post.  I really don't care if they have animals on their property.  Just keep them on your property.  The roosters really are a noise issue as they begin crowing in the morning (4am today) and don't quit until sunset.  

Whoever thought this would be an issue living in Lyndhurst?